Periodontitis is one of the most common chronic diseases known to mammals, and humans in particular. It is estimated that 47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease. Periodontitis is caused by supragingival biofilm that promotes the formation of a subgingival biofilm which destroys the supporting bone and other supporting structures of the teeth, leading to chronic infection, systemic disease and tooth loss. This disease is treatable, but not curable, and usually reoccurs following treatment due to inadequate daily biofilm removal. If this biofilm were removed from all tooth surfaces or killed on a daily basis, then new and recurrent periodontitis could be eliminated.
Currently, dental biofilm can be adequately removed, but not killed, by thorough brushing and flossing, yet this is rarely if ever accomplished due to lack of patient or caretaker dexterity, compliance, and ability to assess the degree of biofilm removal.
Various chemical agents have been found to soften, dissolve and/or kill the bacterial biofilm (sodium hypochlorite solutions, povidone iodine solutions, chlorhexidine solutions, urea solutions, surfactants), but all of these agents are noxious and foul tasting such that patients tend to be non-compliant in their use.
Application of water with varied hydrodynamic parameters has been shown to partially remove biofilm and reduce gingival inflammation, but not to a level needed to completely control periodontitis. In addition, the devices developed to apply the water (such as the commercially available WATERPIK™ type devices) are patient directed without any ability for the patient to target all affected areas, therefore many areas are inadequately treated.
An automated system, device and method that was able to quickly, completely and consistently remove and/or kill clinically significant biofilm accumulation on the entire dentition on a daily basis would be an improvement in the art. Such a system or device that could be used directly by a patient on an automated basis would be a further improvement in the art.